Home Automation Ideas for Saving Money Automatically
If you watch TV at all, you have surely seen all the advertisements and product placement of home automations. Controlling things with your voice and setting certain things to automatically happen at set times is a dream come true for busy people. Still, not everyone takes advantage of these automations.
One of the biggest reasons people avoid them is due to the initial cost. Yes, these things do take an upfront investment, but they have the potential of saving you thousands of dollars more than what you spend - sometimes more.
For those wondering whether it is worth the price to set up automations, it is important to understand just how they can save you a lot of money over time. Following are some of the most common automations:
Home Automation Ideas To Save Energy
When someone mentions saving money at home, the most common thought is saving on energy consumption. It’s actually not the only way to save money. To keep things simple, though, we will start with that since it’s familiar territory before moving onto other things.
The average American easily spends more than $100 a month on their electric bills, but most spend much more - especially if their homes are not energy efficient. I, along with many other people I know, spend closer to $300 per month due to the condition of our homes. That means that the average American spends anywhere from $1200 to $3600 per year on electric bills alone. It is no wonder we all try to find ways to cut down.
If you have ever looked into saving energy, you probably know all of the common suggestions:
turn the lights off when you live the room;
don’t leave anything;
be sure to turn off your faucets;
get energy-efficient light bulbs, and so on.
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Those are certainly effective methods but there are ways to make it easier. Most of the suggestions above require a lot of attention - if you can remember to do it - and manual steps. You can set it and forget it and still ensure it gets done by automating processes and items throughout your home.
New home automation ideas and products are constantly being brought to the table, but here are a few automations to get you started:
Programmable Thermostat
Heating and cooling are two of the most expensive forms of energy usage in a home.
If you are looking for smart ways to save money, heating and cooling is the best place to start. Therefore, a programmable thermostat is one of the best home automation ideas for saving money.
You can program your thermostat to provide different levels of heat and air throughout the day. Let’s say, for instance, that everyone is out of the house Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.
The smartest thing to do is turn off your heating or air until you get home, but who wants to come home to a freezing cold house in the winter? Instead, we tend to leave it on all day. That’s eight hours of constant energy usage that no one is benefiting from.
However, you can program a smart thermostat to turn off Monday through Fridays at 9 a.m. and have it come back on about a half-hour before you get home. This saves energy all day and still lets you come home to a comfortable house.
Lighting
There are several ways to automate your lighting, such as:
Lights can be scheduled in such a way that they automatically turn on and off throughout the day. This provides two benefits: First, you can have your lights set to turn on when you get home so you are not walking into a dark house. Second, it makes it appear as though someone is home, discouraging burglaries.
You can link your lights to your mobile device. This way, if you forget to turn them off, it’s no big deal. You can control them while you are at work and on vacation.
You can also set your smart lights to dim at specific times, like when you are getting ready to put the kids to bed to help set the mood.
Blinds
There are now automated blinds, too, that can help save energy. They come with sensors that detect the amount of light in and the temperature of a room. When the room is at its set temperature, the blinds maintain it by automatically closing if there is too much solar warmth coming in or by opening if the sun can help warm the room.
For instance, let’s say you have your air set to 74 degrees. If the hot sun is coming through the window, threatening to heat the room past the 74 degrees, the blinds close. Or if it is a sunny winter day, the blinds open to allow the solar energy to help heat the room.
Appliances
How many times have you found yourself at work or the store, driving yourself crazy trying to remember if you left the stove on? It is a common issue to leave things running on accident, including curling irons, wax warmers, electric fireplaces, heaters, and more.
Not only do these things run up your electric bill but they can also be very dangerous. No worries, though. You can connect your appliances to your mobile device and turn them off remotely. Some ways to do this are the following:
You can set a refrigerator notification. If someone leaves the fridge open for too long, the notification alerts you so you can save energy and your food.
You can also get alerts when your washer or dryer has finished. If you are like many of us, you might forget about your laundry until it is too late. Then, you have to wash or dry it again, costing more time and energy than they should. I cannot begin to count the number of laundry loads that I have had to wash more than once simply because I get busy and forget that I began the load.
Outlets
You might be wondering how you can program things that are not programmable to turn off remotely. I mean, how many of us have a smart curling iron or smart wax warmer? There is another way to do it, though. You can program your electrical outlets to power down, instead.
In addition to that bit of awesomeness, you can use motion detection tools that turn off outlets and electronics in a room once there is no activity for a set amount of time.
Home Automation Ideas For Disaster Prevention
This is one of the least thought of ways to save money with home automation. When you really think about it, though, you can see how to cut expenses in this area.
Let’s talk first about how disasters cost you. When I say disasters, I am not necessarily referring to terrifying storms or something equally traumatic, though those things definitely cost money. Here, though, I am referring to the smaller scale, everyday disasters, like when a leak occurs and ruins your belongings, or a fire - even a small one - can destroy things you love.
Any disaster, whether large scale or small scale, means losing things that are important to you. You end up having to replace items, like clothing and appliances, and that is never cheap. While some things are unpreventable, there are some home automation ideas and tools that can help reduce the effects and minimize the losses you could incur.
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Smoke and carbon monoxide are very dangerous things, but you can take some control over them. Start by linking your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors. This will make all of your alarms sound if any individual unit detects either.
Additionally, you can set it up to alert you on your mobile device if the units detect any issues or if the batteries are running low.
It can also be set to alert the fire department.
These simple steps can save both money and lives.
Water Leaks
What if you could know about leaks before they turn into a big problem? Wouldn’t that be great? Well, now you can. Sensors let you know if they detect any moisture in the designated places, giving you the chance to repair the issue before it ruins your home.
Insurance Rates
Homeowner’s insurance can get expensive, but taking these steps to protect your home will not only prevent you from incurring losses.
They will also typically get you a discount on your insurance rates because you are minimizing the potential risks.
Insurance carriers are very different, though, so you will have to speak directly with your agent about these savings. If your carrier does not provide discounts, call around to find one that does.
There is one thing to keep in mind here, though. Insurance companies try to minimize the costs they will incur if something happens to your home. If your home automation ideas will theoretically prevent more losses than the cost of the systems, you should be in good shape. However, if the systems cost more, you may end up paying higher premiums.
Let’s try to make that a little clearer. If you have spent $500 on home automation systems that should prevent thousands of dollars in losses, a discount is probably in order.
However, if you spend thousands on the system that might only save hundreds in the event of a fire or other event, you probably will not get a discount. That’s because should that fire occur, your insurance company will have to spend thousands to replace your system on top of whatever losses you incur. In short, while you can save on insurance premiums, that will not always be the case.
Home Automation Ideas For Safety And Security
Another way to save with home automation is through security systems. They help prevent break-ins and burglaries, both of which can cost money and lives.
Let’s put this into perspective. The FBI reports that a burglary happens in America approximately every 26 seconds. That’s over 3,000 burglaries each day. The average loss a homeowner faces due to a break-in is about $3,000 - and that’s just the monetary cost.
You can’t really put a price tag on the emotional turmoil and fear these incidences cause, including the inability to sleep well. Additionally, that price does not cover the loss of items that are invaluable to you, such as a family heirloom or other sentimental item. However, as we are discussing finances here, I digress.
Before getting into the actual safety measures, I would like to point out that - just like the category above - many safety automations will get you an insurance discount. Again, it is at the discretion of the insurer.
Here are some home automation ideas to put in place to help you save money, protect your possessions, and feel safer:
You no longer have to fret about whether your doors are locked. You can get automatic door locks now that can automatically lock the doors when you leave. You can also set your door locks up in such a way that you can check an app to see if they are locked and even lock them remotely.
This is great not only when you are away from home, but also when you are at home. I don’t know about anyone else but I am always paranoid when I get in bed that I did not lock the doors. Every night, I get out of bed at least three times to check the locks. With locks connected to my phone, I could check and lock them from the comfort of my bed. That would be absolutely wonderful.
Smart home security systems can give you peace of mind no matter where you are in the world. They send notifications and images if something is not right, allow you to customize security modes so you can protect them at home and away, and you can control it all from your mobile device.
You can have your system set up to notify you if the door has been unlocked, let you see who is at your door, and help you protect packages that are left on your porch. Whatever you want to know, there is typically a way to notify you.
Garages are one of the most popular entry points for burglars, and there is a good reason for that. Many people forget or get careless about locking their home door that leads to the garage, mostly because the garage door will be shut - or so they think.
A surprising number of people forget to close their garage doors. Therefore, thieves can pretty much walk straight into your home with little to no effort at all.
That does not have to be the case anymore. One of the greatest home automation ideas is garage doors that will close themselves if you forget to, easily cutting down the opportunities a thief has to enter your home.
Comparisons
- Now that you know how you can save, there is only one thing left to do to make a decision: Compare the amount you could potentially save to the price of purchase and installation. If the savings outweigh the initial cost, you should probably automate as much as you can.
- Some people decide to do DIY installation to save money. This is not necessarily a bad idea, but you should do this with careful consideration. I am a huge fan of DIY projects to save money, but it is not always the best choice.
- Many home automations require knowledge of electricity and are better suited to a specialist. Others can be set up easily. Additionally, remember that if it is not done properly, you may end up spending more than you save. The last thing you want to do is cost yourself more when you are working hard to save money.
- Before deciding whether to go pro or DIY, think it through carefully. Do research to determine what you can safely do on your own and what will require a professional. Then, call around to get quotes from several companies so you can find the best rate for things you cannot install on your own.
Conclusion
I hope that you see the value in automating and that this has helped you make the right decision for your home.
Here’s a bonus tip: If you choose to automate, calculate how much you are saving per month on average and have that amount set aside in a savings or investment account.
Having a savings account will not only help you save money to invest in these home automation devices, but it will also help you put money aside later on, once you start saving money by implementing the things advised above.
It should not take long to determine if your home automation ideas are worth it.